RICHARD ALROCK FROM ARDROSSAN CAUGHT SURVEILLING CHILDREN IN SAUCHIE WITH HIDDEN CAMERA

In March 2017, a disturbing incident involving Richard Alcroft, a resident of Ardrossan, came to light that highlighted the serious nature of his criminal behavior. Alcroft, aged 40, was found to have secretly installed a camera inside a washbag with the intent to covertly record children during bath time. The incident occurred while he was staying overnight at a friend’s house located in Sauchie, Clackmannanshire, just prior to a planned holiday with the family.

According to the prosecution, Graham McLachlan, the situation unfolded when Alcroft, who was visiting his friends, placed his washbag in the bathroom. During this stay, the friend’s wife went to bathe her two children, aged four and seven. It was during this routine activity that one of the children noticed something unusual about the toiletries bag, which had been left near the bath. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that a camera had been concealed inside the washbag.

Further examination revealed that a hole had been cut into the bag to allow the camera lens to operate discreetly. The discovery prompted immediate confrontation, and Alcroft was confronted with the evidence. Without delay, he left the house, prompting the call to the police. Authorities responded swiftly, and Alcroft was arrested at the scene.

He was subsequently brought before Alloa Sheriff Court in early February, where he appeared on petition. During this hearing, Alcroft chose not to request bail and was remanded in custody. Later, he appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court, where he pleaded guilty to two charges of filming children engaged in private acts. These offenses took place on February 2, 2017.

Alcroft’s defense lawyer, Brian Black, acknowledged his client’s need for help, stating, “He knows he needed help.” Given the time Alcroft had already spent in custody prior to sentencing, Sheriff Craig Caldwell decided against imposing a custodial sentence. Instead, he sentenced Alcroft to a three-year period of supervision under a community payback order. Additionally, Alcroft was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a similar duration and was subject to a sexual offences prevention order that restricts him from having unsupervised access to children for five years.

It was also revealed that Alcroft had a prior conviction related to indecent images of children. On April 2, 2012, he was convicted at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court of possessing indecent images. The indictment detailed that between March 2, 2007, and September 21, 2009, he stored over 3,000 indecent images of children on his computers. On May 15, 2012, he received a three-year community payback order for this offense, underscoring a troubling pattern of criminal behavior involving the exploitation of children.